Hi Doc

hope you have not gone to sleep again why do all the reports on tongue cancer say MAY spread to other organs does that mean there is some dobt that it will have you any sats on this

Hi Blitz

May means 'occasionally'. Most spread is regional and not distant. More information ( & stats) on regional spread can be found at
Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis and Neck Spread
In brief:�
* Cervical metastases of cancer of the upper aero-digestive tract usually occur in predictable patterns.
* 40-50% of all patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) will have regional lymphatic involvement (clinical or occult) at diagnosis.
* Cervical lymphadenopathy is the single most significant prognostic variable in determining survival of patients with HNSCC (survival decreases by 50% in patients with N+ necks).
* Patients with cervical metastasis have increased risk of local, regional and distant failure (the lone exception being patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma).
* The most important predictive factor for regional recurrence is extracapsular spread.
* Survival further decreases by 50% in patients with extra-capsular spread.
* Rates of cervical metastasis differ according to primary site - most commonly seen with hypopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal primaries.

Predictors of Nodal Metastasis
* Primary site - Highest rate in nasopharynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx.
* Tumor stage - The more advanced the T stage, the higher the percentage of cervical metastasis.
* Tumor thickness - Thicker tumors usually have a higher percentage of metastasis.
* Tumor differentiation - High grade/poorly differentiated cancers have higher rates of cervical metastasis.
* Perineural invasion � Depending on tumor site, it is associated with increased risk for cervical metastasis (skin and lip).
* Perivascular invasion - Highly associated with increased rates of cervical metastasis.

Hope you find the information helpful .

Best wishes
Vinod
:coffee:

Vinod - many thanks for your reply to Blitzbob on the possibility of the spread of concer from the tongue to other sites.

Could you now advise where I might find a translation?

Just a further thought regarding the possibilty of cancer spreading from the tongue.

I've always assumed that, given that a great deal of the stuff that's needed to survive passes thru' the mouth, it's racing certainty that there would be a spread (what's the proper word - metastasis?)

But then I read in one of the survivor stories that a spread to the """nether regions""" is very rare.

So I'm further baffled (a) by not understanding the info provided by Vinod (b) because I don't know what's meant by """nether regions""".

Thoughts, comments advice or whatever would be apprecoated.

Hi Pikeman

Quote from What You Need To Know About� Oral Cancer

quote:

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Cells that divide when new cells are not needed form too much tissue. The mass of extra tissue, called a tumor, can be benign or malignant.

* Benign tumors are not cancer. They can usually be removed, and in most cases, they don't grow back. Most important, the cells in benign tumors do not invade other tissues and do not spread to other parts of the body. Benign tumors usually are not a threat to life.

* Malignant tumors are cancer. They can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs. Also, cancer cells can break away from a malignant tumor and enter the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. This is how cancer spreads and forms secondary tumors in other parts of the body. The spread of cancer is called metastasis.

When oral cancer spreads, it usually travels through the lymphatic system. Cancer cells that enter the lymphatic system are carried along by lymph, an almost colorless, watery fluid containing cells that help the body fight infection and disease. Along the lymphatic channels are groups of small, bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes (sometimes called lymph glands). Oral cancer that spreads usually travels to the lymph nodes in the neck. It can also spread to other parts of the body. Cancer that spreads is the same disease and has the same name as the original (primary) cancer.

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So, the cancer cells gets stopped by the lymph nodes before it gets to the 'nether regions'. Wearing a corset will make no difference .

Best wishes
Vinod :coffee: